Collection, monitoring, analyzing and reporting of traffic data via vehicle sensor devices placed at multiple remote locations

ABSTRACT

Traffic management reports are created by providing vehicle sensor devices at different location in a region. Each device captures data of vehicles that pass the device. The vehicle data is communicated to a central computer database. At the central computer database, a user interface selects one or more criteria from a plurality of criteria for filtering the vehicle data. Traffic management reports are then automatically created from the filtered vehicle data using the selected criteria.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 60/845,796 filed Sep. 19, 2006.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Radar speed trailers (also, referred to as “radar trailers,” “speedtrailers” or “radar speed signs”) are portable devices that capturevehicle speed as the vehicle passes the device. Typically, the devicealso includes a speed indicator and the posted speed limit. Radar speedtrailers typically include optional data collection units that storedata detected by the radar devices. The stored data may be downloadedinto a computer for analysis, charting, and the like.

Intuitive Control Systems, LLC (d/b/a All Traffic Solutions (ATS)),State College, Pa., sells a radar speed sign called SPEEDsentry™ RadarSpeed Display. The SPEEDsentry display uses a radar antenna to measurethe speed of an approaching vehicle and then displays the speed. TheSPEEDsentry is sold with a standard programming features included and anumber of other optional features, including a data logging feature. Thedata logging feature will keep a running log in local memory of everyspeed measured by the radar and the time of the measurement. The radarsensor takes a periodic reading. All readings are saved to the unit'sinternal memory. The user of the SPEEDsentry periodically downloads thisdata directly to a Laptop/PC using a cable or indirectly via a PDA. Thisprior art method is illustrated in FIG. 1. The data file is given a nameand stored. Generally the name would indicate a location where the datawas taken and the date of data collection. From this data, the number ofvehicles that have been detected by the SPEEDsentry can be estimated,and this information could also be stored. The vehicle count is almostalways different than the number of radar measurements taken because asingle vehicle will usually be detected multiple times. The vehiclecount is determined from this data using a proprietary algorithm. Theanalysis software provided by ATS to view the data allows a user to lookat one week of data at a time.

The downloaded data is very useful for those responsible for trafficcontrol. In addition to the supplied proprietary software, the data canbe imported into a spreadsheet program and manipulated and analyzed.Some of the useful information than can and is often obtained from thedownloaded data includes:

1. Average speed (overall and for specific time periods/windows)

2. 85^(th) percentile speed

3. Maximum speeds can be determined by sorting the data on thespreadsheet

4. Road volume per time window

5. Car volume per speed range for each time window

Traffic managers (e.g., law enforcement) are able to make appropriatedecisions for traffic control and speed enforcement based on reportsderived from the data. Such decisions can include where and when toprovide police law enforcement. It can also provide road traffic volumesfor making other volume dependent decisions.

While the downloaded data is very useful to customers for monitoringtraffic and making appropriate decisions, there are significantdrawbacks. These include the cumbersome nature of collecting the data,storing numerous data files in an organized fashion to allow searchingat a later time, analyzing the data for trends and combining data fromseparate data files. In particular, each time a customer downloads data,it is placed in a separate file. If a customer has multipleSPEEDsentrys, each SPEEDsentry generates data files for each locationwhere it recorded data. It is complicated to collect and organize thisdata and keep track of the multiple files. Furthermore, it iscomplicated to make comparisons between separate data sets. In sum, thecurrent method of developing useful reports from the collected data istime-consuming and too complicated for the average traffic officer.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Preferred embodiments of the present invention provide at least thefollowing benefits:

1. Data from multiple sources can be placed into a common database. 2.Data from any number of sensor devices can be automatically andindependently uploaded into a common database with near immediate accessto reports on the data from any web browser.

3. Data sets can be identified by a plurality of names (e.g., up to 12names) for later sorting and organizing. These names may include countyor municipality, road name, location on the road, side of the road,speed limit, school zone, work zone, or the like. The names aredetermined by the user and determined by future studies. Dates areautomatically included, as these are part of the data.

4. Data can be grouped by the named fields and used to generate reportsover a broad range or a very narrow range depending on the criteriaselected. 5. The system can sort the data automatically and determinefor the traffic officer the time windows with the highest percentage ofspeed violations or the highest speed violation events within a selecteddata range.

6. The system can automatically generate summary charts that provide theuser with a traffic and speed summary for a given data range, thesummary including vehicle count, maximum and minimum speeds, averagespeeds, percentile speeds (e.g., 85th percentile speeds), and canprovide other information.7. The system can provide the effectiveness decay rate of actual policeenforcement by allowing the user to chart the speeds in a particularlocation and overlay times when an officer was present and providingon-site enforcement. The system can monitor the speed in the locationand when the speeds creep back up to a set speed or multiple of thespeed after the enforcement period, the officer can be notified toprovide enforcement again and reduce the speeds.8. The system can provide alerts including individual high speed events,tamper alerts, low average speed indicating a problem, and average speedabove the set value. All of the alerts have settings that are configuredby the user.

9. The system can provide road volume reports with variable lengthperiods of minimum vehicular traffic and maximum traffic.

10. The system can compare speed and traffic volume statistics acrossmultiple jurisdictions and across the nation to determine theeffectiveness of a local program compared to a national average or otheraverage or comparison statistics determined to be appropriate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description ofpreferred embodiments of the invention, will be better understood whenread in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose ofillustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings embodimentswhich are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, thatthe invention is not limited to the precise arrangements andinstrumentalities shown.

FIG. 1 shows a prior art system and method of capturing data from radarspeed signs.

FIGS. 2-5 show systems and methods of capturing data from radar speedsigns in accordance with preferred embodiments of the present invention.

FIGS. 6A-6D, taken together, shows an entity relationship diagram foruse with the systems and methods of FIGS. 2-5 in accordance with onepreferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 7-15 show user interface display screens for implementing thesystems and methods of FIGS. 2-5 in accordance with preferredembodiments of the present invention.

FIGS. 16-27 show a plurality of different reports that can be generatedusing the systems and methods of FIGS. 2-5 in accordance with preferredembodiments of the present invention.

FIGS. 28-33 show additional user interface display screens forimplementing the systems and methods of FIGS. 2-5 in accordance withpreferred embodiments of the present invention.

FIGS. 34A-34B and 35A-35B show additional reports that can be generatedusing the systems and methods of FIGS. 2-5 in accordance with preferredembodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Certain terminology is used herein for convenience only and is not to betaken as a limitation on the present invention.

I. Overview

The present invention is described in the context of a web-enabledservice referred to as “WebEmpowered™ SPEEDSentry™, provided by AllTraffic Solutions. This service provides a method for collecting andreporting on the data generated by SPEEDsentry installations. However,the scope of the present invention is not limited to this particularembodiment.

The general process is represented by FIGS. 2 and 3. In its simplestembodiment, the process includes at least the following steps:

1. Provide an installed base of multiple traffic sensing devices atdifferent locations. The installed base optionally comprises multiplecustomers, each having at least one traffic sensing device installed atone or more locations.

2. Collect vehicle/traffic data from multiple locations (all or a subsetof the installed base) as vehicles pass by the sensing devices (e.g.,SPEEDsentry devices). 3. Transmit via electronic means (automatically ormanually) the collected data to one or more databases, each aggregatingdata from multiple sensing devices. 4. Provide customer access to one ormore predefined reports derived from the database(s) via a userinterface (e.g., traffic management reports or traffic enforcementreports using selected for filtered data). A. Providing an InstalledBase

The first step of the process is to provide an installed base of trafficsensing devices. This can comprise a single customer having sensingdevices at one or multiple locations or can be multiple customers atseparate localities, each customer having one or more of such devices(e.g., the SPEEDsentry). The devices can be installed by the company, orthe devices can be installed by the customer. For example, a localpolice force may install a single SPEEDsentry along five differentresidential streets in its jurisdiction at multiple different periods tocollect speed data as vehicles pass by. The specific type of sensingequipment is not critical to the present invention. However, the mostpractical are devices that contain a standard radar antenna and arecapable of collecting speed, date, time, a unique location/data sourceidentifier, traffic directional identifier and radarselectivity/sensitivity data. Other types of sensors and other datacollection systems are also within the scope of the invention. Laserspeed sensors, road tubes and other road type sensors, infrared beams,acoustic sensors, piezoelectric sensors and many other technologiescould be used to gather the data. The installed sensor base can containdevices of many different types and can range from being highly portableto permanent installations.

B. Data Collection

The next step of the process is to collect vehicle/traffic data from allor a subset of the installed base of devices as vehicles pass at leastone sensing device at each location. This is preferably done at eachlocation, and the data from one location has no relationship to the datafrom another location. In current practice, the data collected is speed,date, time, a unique location/data source identifier, trafficdirectional identifier and radar selectivity/sensitivity data. Othertypes of sensors and other data collection is also within the scope ofthe invention. The collected data and any locally generated derivativedata (e.g., car count estimates, consolidated or compressed data, zeroor no vehicles present data, rolling average speed) are temporarilystored in local memory until being periodically transmitted to a centraldatabase (also, referred to interchangeably as a “central computerdatabase” or “centralized data center”). It is important to note thatthis collection is typically done automatically and independently ateach location by local settings on the device. However, the settings canbe changed from a remote location as will be discussed later. Thecalculations can also be performed on the server with only the raw datasaved at the local device.

While the scope of the present invention including having only a singlelocation for any one customer, the value of the present inventionbecomes significantly greater as the number of data collecting locationsincreases and the number of data sets increase as the unit(s) are placedto take data in these locations for more time periods. Thus, onepreferred embodiment of the present invention is when there are multipledata collecting devices in a single local region (e.g., a municipality).Another preferred embodiment occurs when there are multiple localities(e.g., municipalities) that each have one or multiple data collectingdevices. This particular version is represented in FIG. 3 which showsthree separate/independent communities, each having multiple datacollecting devices.

C. Data Transmission

The next step of the process is transmittal of the collected data viaelectronic means to a centralized computer/server where the data isstored in at least one common/central database that aggregates data fromone or multiple devices and one or multiple locations. The specificelectronic means that is used to transmit the data to the central serveris not critical. FIG. 2 shows three different methods of gettingcollected data from radar speed signs to the server with the databasesoftware (e.g., SQL, Microsoft Access®) Preferably, data from each ofthe remote locations is uploaded to the central database via theinternet (TCP/IP) so any electronic means capable of uploading datathrough the internet is acceptable. This could be done by for example:

(1) downloading the radar speed sign data to a PDA, connecting it to acomputer with an internet browser, and uploading the data;(2) connecting the radar speed sign directly to a computer with aninternet connection (with appropriate software); and/or(3) connecting the radar speed sign to a wireless communications modulecapable of TCP/IP (e.g., cellular GPRS, cellular CDMA, 801.11/WiFi). SeeFIG. 2.

Again the specific data transfer means is not critical as long as thedata can be transmitted to a central database. The data could also beloaded directly into the database. Our currently preferred method oftransmitting the data is through a cellular service. This service worksby having a cellular modem at the data collection device call out on aregular schedule determined by the user and transmit the data to thecentral server. FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of one preferred communicationsroutine, and FIG. 5 shows the procedures that are used at the speed signserver to connect to the data transmissions and populate the database.The server can be a server maintained by ATS, or it could be the ATSsoftware on a customer's server, or other database software on a server.

In one preferred embodiment, each remote location transmits its dataindependent of the others. The transmissions could be done in real timeas the data is produced. However, in practice, each location isprogrammed (which can be changed) to submit the data at a frequency(e.g., every 3 hours or once a day). This can save battery power and/orwireless transmission bandwidth and charges compared to transmitting inreal time. The transmission is preferably two-way so that theprogramming or settings/configuration on each device can be updated orchanged. Data communications to the devices typically includes settingssuch as the speed limit, whether the display is on or off, frequency ofchecking with the server for new settings or data upload, and otherstandard settings for the device.

D. Database Structure

FIGS. 6A-6D, taken together, shows an entity relationship diagram (ERD)for one preferred implementation of the present invention. The databaseused to store all of the traffic data, associated settings and all signparameters is a standard relational database. All database field namesand important relationships are described below for furtherclarification. For security purposes, database table names and fieldsmay have been changed from actual names.

E. Central Database Access/Use

The final step of the process is to provide access to reports from thedatabase(s) to provide useful information (beyond raw data) that atraffic manager or others can use to make informed decisions. Typically,the users would be the customers that have the installed base of devicesreferred to above. However, additional users may include ITprofessionals, database managers, other company or governmentalpersonnel, and the general public. There are many useful things that canbe done with the data that will provide a traffic manager with moreinformation than the raw data can provide, and the system provides ameans for the user to get this report information easily. The data canbe sorted, filtered, averaged, maximums and minimums determined, vehiclecounts determined, and the like. Additionally, these values can becalculated for any time periods of interest. Some examples will bediscussed below in the next section.

In practice, the database is accessed via a web user interface that anynumber of users (e.g., customers) can have access too. While the centraldatabase will contain data from many customers, each customer (via aunique login id) will typically have access to only their own datasources. This is accomplished by a table in the database that associateseach user to a specific set of data sources. The users will be able tocompare their data to other municipalities, but the specific names willremain confidential.

The primary use of the data for law enforcement customers is to provideenforcement reports. These reports give the officer the ability toselect a dataset (e.g., all locations in the municipality for the last 6months, all school zones for the last two weeks, all 25 MPH roads forthe last month, all locations on a specific road, one specific locationin a certain timeframe) and generate a report that highlights a certainnumber (e.g., 10) time periods of highest speeding violations. The timeperiod duration is selectable, for example, 15 minute time windows orone hour time windows, depending on the resolution that the officerdesires. The speed ranges are selectable as well. The violations can bethe highest percentage over the speed limit or the highest actual numberover the speed limit. The report also generates the highest individualspeed violations for the data selected, again by actual speed orpercentage over the posted speed limit. These times can be reviewed tosee if there are patterns for the high speed events and these patternscan be used to identify likely enforcement times or repeat offenderspassing the same location on a regular basis.

Reports can be generated on demand, in response to the occurrence ofpredefined conditions, or they can be scheduled to be generated andemailed or printed on a periodic schedule. All of the reports in theWebEmpowered system can be set up to be generated automatically (orautomatically and periodically), including but not limited to theSummarized Speed Report (FIG. 24), the Speeds and Counts Report (FIGS.25A and 25B), the Priority Enforcement Report (FIG. 26), or the roadreport (FIGS. 34A and 34B). For example, the officer can have a reportgenerated monthly for all locations and all data over the last monthshowing the enforcement priorities and can send this report to himselfand to his chief. It can be sent electronically via email or by anotherelectronic source (FIG. 35A). To set the schedule, the user simplychooses the frequency at which the report is required under the “setschedule” option. Reports can also be memorized, where the criteria togenerate a report is memorized so it does not have to be filled in eachtime the same report is needed. These reports can be given an applicablename for identification by the user. These reports are set up in the webpage shown in FIG. 35B. This feature will save the user significant timein generating reports.

These municipalities can share data only if they give each otherapproval to look at each other's data. They can also compare their datato national averages. This feature will allow the user to compare theirspeed enforcement performance with the performance of other communitiesin the nation of similar, smaller or larger size, or to compare theirperformance with a national average. These comparisons are simplyselected in the report criteria section (FIG. 36). The selectedcomparison averages are displayed along with other summary information(FIG. 27). These comparisons could include other information such asroad miles, population density, tickets issued, and the like.

To get a report, the user selects criteria from a criteria selectionscreen (FIG. 23). The report can include all data in the user's databasefiles, but it can also be narrowed down to certain locations, certaintypes of roads, certain times, days, and the like. The user can limitthe report to these limited criteria using selections on the criteriaselection screen which include, but are not limited to, road, locationson the road, type of zone such as a school or work zone, day of theweek, certain dates and times, and many other selection criteria thatallow the report to be limited to the data in which the user isinterested.

The criteria selection screen allows for the generation of customizedreports such as the Summarized Speed Report (FIG. 24), Speed Summary(FIG. 25), Count Summary (FIG. 26), or the Priority Enforcement Report(FIG. 27). The reports are not limited to these examples but couldinclude any other reports that a user knowledgeable in this field maywant to generate from the accumulated data. The reports display thecriteria from which they were generated, for example at the top of thepage in these sample reports.

Selecting the report criteria links each criteria with the appropriatedata field in which this data is stored (FIGS. 6A-6D).

Use of the data that is provided by the sensors, unit or location alertscan be provided. The alert criteria or triggers are input on the AlertCriteria Screen (FIG. 30). These alerts constantly compare the current,new data at the sign with the criteria sent to the sign by the user.When the data exceeds the alert limit, the unit will call out to theuser and/or other selected parties for email alerts. For example, a highspeed alert causes the sign to call out to the user when a vehiclepasses the sign at a rate of speed above the speed criteria set by theuser. For a congestion alert, the user can specify a speed below whichthey want to be notified. A low speed can be indicative of an accident,breakdown or other problem that needs to be investigated. Other alarmscan be set, including the tamper alert sensitivity or activity of anykind during a set time period indicating an intruder or other suspiciousactivity. The unit can also send an alert when the battery level hasreached the level at which the user requests notification, possibly avalue such as 30% power remaining.

The system will also provide an alert when it senses a bad radar sensorin the unit. If the control circuitry in the unit gets either incorrector corrupt data from the radar unit or no signal for some presetinterval in which it is very unlikely that there were no cars, the unitwill send a “bad Radar” alarm to the individuals configured to receivethis specific alarm. These might be the officer responsible for the unitor the department's or outsourced service personnel. The bad radar alertis similar to other alerts in FIG. 30. Alerts indicating a problem withthe unit, such as a bad radar alert or a calibration problem, getemailed automatically to the manufacturer or other selected personnelfor resolution.

The alerts and sensor settings are tied to a location in theWebEmpowered System, not to a specific unit. If a sensor is set up in aspecific location, the next time the sensor dials in for settings or todownload data, the settings saved in the database for this location willbe downloaded to the unit. These settings can include the speed limit,radar sensitivity, maximum speed displayed, and all of the other displaysettings. The alert settings are also tied to the location, not to aspecific unit. In most cases, the settings for the high speed alert, lowspeed alert, tamper alert and others are tied to the location of theunit, not to the unit itself that can be set up in many differentlocations. In this manner, the user does not have to keep track of whichunit is at a specific location. Instead, the user merely keeps track ofwhich locations they will be installing units and the settings for thatparticular location. If a user has 10 signs, they would not need to knowwhich of the 10 is set up at Main and Elm Streets. The user simply needsto know that a unit is there and what the settings are for any unit atthat location.

II. Detailed Disclosure

FIG. 1 shows two prior art examples of data flow in a traffic managementsystem. In the first example, data is collected from a radar gun/antennathat is incorporated into a radar speed sign having a memory module (notshown). A PDA is used to download data from the radar speed sign andthen is transferred via a USB or serial port to a desktop PC andimported to a spreadsheet file (e.g. Microsoft Excel®) from which a usercan manually prepare reports. The second example is similar, but data isdownloaded from the radar speed sign directly to a computer via anRS232, RS485 or Bluetooth® connection.

FIG. 2 is an entity relationship diagram of one implementation of thepresent invention. It shows three different methods of getting collecteddata from radar speed signs to a web server/SQL database via theinternet (TCP/IP). The three alternatives shown are: (1) downloading aradar speed sign data to a PDA and then connecting it to a computer withan internet browser that then transfers the data via TCP/IP to the webserver; (2) connecting a radar speed sign directly to a computer (e.g.,laptop) with an internet connection and software capable of transferringthe data via TCP/IP to the web server; and/or (3) connecting the radarspeed sign to a wireless communications module capable of TCP/IP (e.g.,cellular GPRS, cellular CDMA, 801.11/WiFi) which will transfer data tothe web server. As illustrated in FIG. 2, an SQL database is maintainedon the server and data is accessed via any web browser capable ofTCP/IP. The web server is interchangeably referred to herein as a hostserver or web portal.

FIG. 3 shows a representation of a larger scale implementation of thepresent invention. It shows an installed base of multiple radar speedsigns for multiple customers, each in their own separate/independentcommunities. While FIG. 3 implies a shared TCP/IP connection for many ofthe radar speed signs, each sign can have an independent TCP/IPconnection to the web server/SQL database. FIG. 3 also shows how accessto the data can be filtered for each customer so that each customer onlysees data from his/her community.

FIG. 4 shows the process for a communications module to interact withthe radar speed sign and the server on the other end. This process isimplemented on custom hardware utilizing an 8-bit microcontroller,memory, and a cellular modem.

400: Power up module.

402: Once a minute, the module checks to see if it is time for an updateor a data upload event based on variables stored in its own EEPROM. Ifit is not, it goes back to doing nothing. If it is, the processcontinue.

404: The module transmits packets back and forth between itself and theradar speed sign to gather all of its current settings and a history ofsettings as they have changed (with timestamps), and, if possible, allof the speed data stored in the speed sign.

406: Once it has all of its data from the speed sign, the module powerson the modem, waits for a cellular signal (much like when a telephonepowers on), and finally connects to the internet. Once it its talkingover TCP/IP through the internet, it connects to the main server whowill control the communications from here out.

408: The server will send a variety of packets of data to thecommunication module. Here, the module validates each packet to makesure that it was not altered during transmission.

410: If the packet command that was sent was a request to close theconnection, the module will initiate shutdown procedures in process 414.Otherwise it processes the packet in process 412.

412: The packet is processed here—packet commands are all requests fordata (such as “send all settings,” “send all data”) and commands to setvariables (“apply these settings,” “set the clock,”) so the modulereturns the data that was requested of it to the server. See FIG. 5 formore details on how the server software communicates.

414: The server has said to close the connection, so the module logs offthe server, shuts down its wireless internet connection and powers offthe modem. When this is complete, it returns back to checking to see ifit is time for a new update.

FIG. 5:

500: Server Software is loaded.

502: A TCP/IP Socket/Port on the server is opened and set to listen forincoming connections.

504: When a new connection comes in, jump out of a endless loop oflistening.

506: The server parses the connection string, and tries to find a matchin the database of known, good devices. If a match is found, the programcontinues in process 510, otherwise, go to process 508.

508: The connection was declared as invalid and the connection isdropped. Start the process over.

510: The connection was declared as a valid device. Pass the socket andrelated device information off to a new thread that will handle all ofthe communications from here out.

520: New thread was created for a validated device.

522: If the SQL server has a flag set that the user has updated thesettings, add a packet into the packet queue that will send the settingsdown.

524: Database settings are pulled and converted to a packet to be sentat a later time and added to the packet queue.

526: If the SQL server has a flag set that the user wants to ignore thedata upload schedule and instead get data immediately, add a packet intothe packet queue that will tell the module to get all of the data whenthis process is done.

528: Packet is generated and added to the packet queue.

530: The rest of the default packets are added to the packet queue.

532: The Packet queue is now built, so the server starts sending thecommands to the module.

534: Every packet sent will get a response. Those responses could besimple “Task completed” notices or they could contain data that wasrequested. They are processed accordingly.

536: If there still packets left to send, the software jump back toprocess 532. If there are no more packets left to be sent, the softwareis done with the bulk of the communication work and is free to continue.

538: Since all communication is done, the server sends a closeconnection request packet to the communications module, and subsequentlycloses its socket connection.

540: If the module uploaded speed data, the server needs to take allthat data in its memory and put it into SQL. If not, skip to process546.

542: Data is moved from the server's in-memory collection of speeds andtimestamps to rows in a SQL data table for storage.

544: The processing of raw data into useable information is veryprocessor intensive due to the large quantity of data. Because of this,the server does all summarizing of the data as soon as the data arrivesat the server and stores the result in a summarized table. Users thenhave near-instant access to the information they need.

546: Processing is complete, terminate the thread.

FIGS. 6A-6D: 600: UserTypes—Various types of users (Administrator, DemoUsers, Standard User)

-   -   user_type_id: Primary key, index    -   description: A description of the type of user

601: UserEmails—Acts as an email address pool

-   -   email_id: Primary key, index    -   user_id: The user that this email address belongs to—linked to        users    -   email_address: An email address string.    -   is_mobile: A field indicating whether the email address in this        row is a mobile device

602: UserEventsLog—Logs actions by the users on the website

-   -   user_events_log_id—Index of the event    -   user_id—the user who created the event    -   user_event_id—the index of the event that is begin recorded (see        UserEvents table)    -   timestamp—the date and time (no seconds)

603: Users—List of all the users in the system and some associatedinformation regarding their account

-   -   user_id—A unique ID for the user.    -   UserName—login name string    -   Password—the account's password string    -   user_type—The index of the associated type of the user, see        UserTypes    -   display_name—A string containing a friendlier name to display        within the website    -   IsDisabled—A bit flag that determines if the account is active        or not    -   IsMetric—A bit flag that determines if the account is a metric        or English account    -   last_login—A timestamp field noting the last login date and time        at the website    -   ICS_CustomerID—An internal account ID that can associate        604: email_linx—A link table associating a product/device with        multiple types of alerts and multiple email addresses    -   product_id—The associated product that an alert is for. (See        UserProducts)    -   alert_type—The type of alert    -   email_id—The email address ID associated with the alert (See        UserEmails)

605: SIMS—An internal book-keeping list of all cellular SIMs and phonenumbers in the system

-   -   SIMid—A unique identifying index.    -   ICCID—The SIM's serial number    -   phone-number—The phone number associated with the account    -   aqusition_date—The date that the ICCID was activated by the        cellular carrier.

606: UserEvents—Lists all possible users actions with descriptions

-   -   user_event_id—Unique index    -   user_event_description—A string describing the event

607: CustomfieldNames—A table associating user-defined strings withCustom1/2/3/4 to make the system appear more user friendly. 608:UserProducts—A table of all products/devices and associated settings.

-   -   product_id—A unique index    -   product_type—the index of the type of product. (See        ProductTypes)    -   user_id—The index of the associated user/account that this        device belongs to    -   product_name—A user customizable string that is used to identify        individual devices on the website.    -   serial_number—The serial number associated with the device    -   firmware_version—The version of the firmware in the        communications module    -   SIM_id—The ID of the associated SIM in this product    -   tamper_enabled—A bit flag noting whether they have purchased the        tamper alarm feature

609: ServerEventsLog—Logs actions by the server software on the website

-   -   server_events_log_id—Index of the event    -   product_id—The user who created the event    -   server_event_id—The index of the event that is begin recorded        (see ServerEvents table)    -   event_detail—A string that is used to log event_specific details    -   timestamp—the date and time (no seconds)

610: ServerEvents—Lists all possible server actions with descriptions

-   -   server_event_id—Unique index    -   server_event_description—A string describing the event

611: Enforcement—A table allowing a list of times and locations wherepolice enforcement was in progress.

-   -   Enforcement_id—A unique identifier.    -   user_id—The associated user/account.    -   Start_time—The time indicating when the enforcement started    -   End_time—The time indicating when the enforcement ended    -   Road_id—The road at which the enforcement took place.    -   Location_id—The location on the road on which the enforcement        took place

612: SignalHistory—An hourly log of the signal quality uploaded by thedevices.

-   -   signal_id—A unique ID    -   product_id—The id of the product who's reading this is    -   date_time—The timestamp of the reading    -   signal_level—The reading itself

614: ProductTypes—A table of all the possible product types (15″ radarsign, 18″ radar sign, etc)

-   -   product_type_id—A unique ID    -   product_name—A string representing the title of the product.    -   firmware_version—The latest firmware version for this product.

615: BatteryHistory—An hourly log of the battery level uploaded by thedevices.

-   -   battery_id—A unique ID.    -   product_id—The id of the product who's reading this is.    -   date_time—The timestamp of the reading.    -   battery_level—The reading itself.

616: ByteTransactions—A log of the number of bytes transferred viacellular for billing purposes byte_id—A unique ID.

-   -   time_stamp—The time the recording of bytes took place.    -   byte_count—The number of bytes for the session being recorded    -   product_id—The product that the bytes were transferred to and        from.

617: SavedReports—A list of all reports and the settings that the usershave set to generate them

-   -   report_type—The type of report that the entry is for    -   report_name—The user's title for the report.    -   memorized_schedule—The schedule type for the report.

618: DataSummary—A table of processed data ready for display by theuser.

-   -   data_summary_id—A unique ID    -   upload_id—The upload that this raw data is associated with.    -   start_time—The start time for this bin    -   end_time—The end time for this bin (start time+14 minutes, 59        seconds, 997 milliseconds)    -   min_speed—The minimum speed detected during this bin.    -   mean_speed—The average speed calculated for this bin.    -   median_speed—The 50% median speed calculated for this bin.    -   max_speed—The maximum speed detected for this bin.    -   pcnt_(—)85_speed—The 85% speed calculated for this bin.    -   total_points—The total number of raw speed points used when        calculating this bin (for weighting purposes.)    -   avg_tr_spd_entering_above_SL—The average speed of a train of        cars when entering the view of the radar gun when the entering        speed is over the speed limit.    -   avg_tr_spd_leaving_above_SL—The average speed of a train of cars        when leaving the view of the radar gun when the entering speed        is over the speed limit.    -   train_cnt_above_SL—A count of the number of trains used to make        this calculation.    -   avg_tr_spd_entering_below_SL—The average speed of a train of        cars when entering the view of the radar gun when the entering        speed is under the speed limit.    -   avg_tr_spd_leaving below_SL—The average speed of a train of cars        when leaving the view of the radar gun when the entering speed        is below the speed limit.        train_cnt_below_SL—A count of the number of trains used to make        this calculation.    -   vehicle_cnt_total—The number of vehicles detected in the time        bin.    -   vehicle_cnt_##_##—The number of vehicles detected in the time        bin for this specified 5 MPH speed bin.

619: ExtremeViolators—A table listing up to three of the top violatorsin a 15 minute time window

-   -   violators_id—A unique ID    -   data_summary_id—The associated data ID row that the entry is        linked to    -   time_stamp—The time of the speed event    -   speed—The recorded speed of the event

620: RawData—The raw speed data pulled from the radar gun

-   -   data_id—A unique ID.        -   time_stamp—The time(with milliseconds) of the speed reading.    -   speed—The speed detected by the radar gun    -   upload_id—The upload that this data is associated with.

621: Uploads

-   -   product_id—The associated product that this dataset was uploaded        by.    -   map_position_top—The Y coordinate noting where on the current        map the device was.    -   map_position_left—The X coordinate noting where on the current        map the device was.    -   gps_degrees—The degrees reading from the GPS device for this        upload.    -   gps_minutes—The minutes reading from the GPS device for this        upload.    -   gps_seconds—The seconds reading from the GPS device for this        upload.    -   road_id—The road associated with this upload.    -   location_id—The location associated with this upload.    -   direction_id—The direction associated with this upload.    -   custom1_id—The custom1 field associated with this upload.    -   custom2_id—The custom2 field associated with this upload.    -   custom3_id—The custom3 field associated with this upload.    -   custom4_id—The custom4 field associated with this upload.    -   SchoolZone—A bit flag noting whether the device is in a school        zone    -   WorkZone—A bit flag noting whether the device is in a work zone    -   display_type—The device's display type with this data.    -   sign_mode—The device's sign mode with this data.    -   radar_sensitivity—The device's radar sensitivity with this data.    -   display_trigger—The device's display trigger with this data.        (See Triggers table)    -   display_trigger_speed—The device's display trigger speed with        this data.    -   strobe_trigger—The device's strobe trigger with this data. (See        Triggers table)    -   strobe_trigger_speed—The device's strobe trigger speed with this        data.    -   relay_trigger—The device's relay trigger with this data. (See        Triggers table)    -   relay_trigger_speed—The device's relay trigger speed with this        data.    -   speed_limit—The device's speed limit with this data.    -   reduced_speed_limit—The device's reduced speed limit with this        data.    -   max_speed_displayed—The device's maximum speed displayed with        this data.    -   timeAon—The device's Time window A on time with this data.    -   TimeAoff—The device's Time window A off time with this data.    -   TimeBon—The device's Time window B on time with this data.    -   TimeBoff—The device's Time window B off time with this data.    -   pickup_distance—The device's manually entered pickup distance        estimate with this data.    -   upload_time—The time this upload took place.    -   IsSummarized—A bit flag that notes whether the raw data for this        upload has been summarized.    -   HasRawData—A bit flag that notes whether the raw data for this        upload still exists in the database.    -   min_speed_summary—The speed at which all data below the value        was ignored when calculating the summary.    -   max_speed_summary—The speed at which all data above the value        was ignored when calculating the summary.

622: Roads—A table containing all roads used by all accounts.

-   -   road_id—A unique ID.    -   road_name—A string containing the road's name    -   user_id—The associated account for the road described.    -   IsActive—This marks whether the user has disabled the road (for        display purposes.)

623: Locations—A table containing all locations use by all accounts.

-   -   location_id—A unique ID.    -   road_id—The ID of the road that this location is on.    -   location_name—A string containing the road's name    -   IsActive—This marks whether the user has disabled the road (for        display purposes.)

624: Directions—A table listing the 4 possible directions a road couldhave

-   -   direction_id—A unique ID.    -   direction_initials—The initials of the directions (NB—North        Bound)    -   direction_name—A string containing a show description of the        direction (North Bound)

625: Custom1—A table containing all custom1 fields used by all accounts.

-   -   custom1_id—A unique ID.    -   custom1_name—A string containing the custom 1 field's name    -   user_id—The associated account for the custom 1 field described.    -   IsActive—This marks whether the user has disabled the custom 1        field(for display purposes.)

626: Custom2—A table containing all custom1 fields used by all accounts.

-   -   custom2_id—A unique ID.    -   custom2_name—A string containing the custom 2 field's name    -   user_id—The associated account for the custom 2 field described.    -   IsActive—This marks whether the user has disabled the custom 2        field(for display purposes.)

627: Custom3—A table containing all custom1 fields used by all accounts.

-   -   custom3_id—A unique ID.    -   custom3_name—A string containing the custom 3 field's name    -   user_id—The associated account for the custom 3 field described.    -   IsActive—This marks whether the user has disabled the custom 3        field(for display purposes.)

628: Custom4—A table containing all custom1 fields used by all accounts.

-   -   custom4_id—A unique ID.    -   custom4_name—A string containing the custom 4 field's name    -   user_id—The associated account for the custom 4 field described.    -   IsActive—This marks whether the user has disabled the custom 4        field (for display purposes.)

629: Triggers—A table containing the possible speed triggers for thesign

-   -   trigger_id—A unique ID.    -   trigger_desc—A description of the trigger (All Vehicles, Speed        Limit, None, etc.)

630: Settings—A table containing all of the settings for all devices.

-   -   product_id—The associated product that this dataset was uploaded        by.    -   map_position_top—The Y coordinate noting where on the current        map the device was.    -   map_position_left—The X coordinate noting where on the current        map the device was.    -   gps_degrees—The degrees reading from the GPS device for this        upload.    -   gps_minutes—The minutes reading from the GPS device for this        upload.    -   gps_seconds—The seconds reading from the GPS device for this        upload.    -   current_road—The road associated with this upload.    -   current_location—The location associated with this upload.    -   current_direction—The direction associated with this upload.    -   current_custom1—The custom1 field associated with this upload.    -   current_custom2—The custom2 field associated with this upload.    -   current_custom3—The custom3 field associated with this upload.    -   current_custom4—The custom4 field associated with this upload.    -   SchoolZone—A bit flag noting whether the device is in a school        zone    -   WorkZone—A bit flag noting whether the device is in a work zone    -   LastLogin—A timestamp of when the sign last logged into the        server.    -   display_type—The device's display type with this data.    -   sign_mode—The device's sign mode with this data.    -   radar_sensitivity—The device's radar sensitivity with this data.    -   display_trigger—The device's display trigger with this data.        (See Triggers table)    -   display_trigger_speed—The device's display trigger speed with        this data.    -   strobe_trigger—The device's strobe trigger with this data. (See        Triggers table)    -   strobe_trigger_speed—The device's strobe trigger speed with this        data.    -   relay_trigger—The device's relay trigger with this data. (See        Triggers table)    -   relay_trigger_speed—The device's relay trigger speed with this        data.    -   speed_limit—The device's speed limit with this data.    -   reduced_speed_limit—The device's reduced speed limit with this        data.    -   max_speed_displayed—The device's maximum speed displayed with        this data.    -   TimeAon—The device's Time window A on time with this data.    -   TimeAoff—The device's Time window A off time with this data.    -   TimeBon—The device's Time window B on time with this data.    -   TimeBoff—The device's Time window B off time with this data.    -   pickup distance—The device's manually entered pickup distance        estimate with this data.    -   IsMetric—A bit flag noting whether this device is a metric unit.    -   low_battery_notify—A number representing the percentage at which        the device will auto-notify the user when the battery hits that        voltage.    -   tamper_notify—A sensitivity at which the device will notify the        user when it detects vibrations on the sign.    -   bad_radar_notify—A back end alert enable bit that allows ATS to        be notified if the radar gun appears to have gone bad.    -   slow_traffic_notify—A speed at which the device must detect to        send a slow traffic alert.    -   speed_over_notify—A speed at which the device must detect to        send a speeder alert.    -   new_data_notify—A bit flag noting whether the user wants to be        notified of new data being uploaded into the system.    -   uncalibrated_voltage_notify—A back end alert enable bit that        allows ATS to be notified if the sign has not had its battery        voltage correctly calibrated.    -   gmt_offset—A value that allows the server to know what time zone        the device is in to send the correct time to.    -   settings_update_freq—A frequency (in hours) at which the sign        will get online to checks settings.    -   settings_update_time—A time for doing the first settings update.    -   data_upload_freq—A frequency (in days) at which the sign will        get online and upload data.    -   data_upload_time—A time within the day to do the data upload    -   data_upload_percent—A data percent full value at which the sign        will ignore its schedule and upload data.    -   ss_firmware_version—The firmware version on the device.    -   force_server_alerts—A bit flag noting to the system that the        user has change alerts.    -   force_server_schedule—A bit flag noting to the system that the        user has changed the scheduling.    -   force_server_sign_settings—A bit flag noting to the system that        the user has changed the sign settings.    -   min_speed_summary—The speed to use at which all data below the        value will be ignored when calculating the summary.    -   max_speed_summary—The speed to use at which all data above the        value will be ignored when calculating the summary.

Software Screen Shots and Discussion of the Functions:

FIG. 7: The WebEmpowered introduction screen allows for apassword-protected sign in. The system compares the user name and thepassword in the users table and allows entry if name and password agreewith data in the file.

FIG. 8: The welcome screen acknowledges an allowed user's entry into thesystem and provides the navigation options of home, settings, tools andreports.

FIG. 9A: In the Settings Menu, the user can choose to review the currentsetup of speed display units including an individual unit's location anddata labels, scheduled settings such as data upload times, automatedalert settings for significant events; and review the general accountsettings.

FIG. 9B: In the Tools Menu the user accesses the enforcement times entrytool to enter on-site enforcement times and locations for overlay inenforcement charts (FIG. 16), and the data management tool whichprovides a means for reviewing and editing data name fields for all thedata in the system (FIGS. 31-33).

FIG. 10: The Reports Menu lets the user navigate to screens forgenerating many reports which are all described below. The screens allgenerally ask for a data range over which to generate the report andthen provide a custom report. The data range includes the time anddates, as well as the data label ranges. For most reports, the data isindependent of the sensor unit, as they all provide raw data for use ingenerating the reports which are generally comparative in nature. Somereports are dependent on the unit, such as the battery history reportand the signal history report. The “Suggest a Report” screen allows theuser to contact ATS with suggestions for future reports that can begenerated from the data on the system.

FIG. 11: The SPEEDsentry Sign Settings Screen provides a summary of thesettings on all of the current speed display sensors in a customer'ssensor network. It includes information including location, unit name,time of last login to the WebEmpowered system, display mode, sign/radarsensor mode, posted speed limit, display trigger speed or condition,strobe trigger speed or condition, relay trigger speed or condition,data logging status and radar unit settings. This data is current as ofthe last time the unit logged into the system. The screen will also keeptrack of both the current sign settings and the pending settings thatwill take effect upon the sign's next contact with the server.

FIG. 12: The WebEmpowered Scheduling Screen allows the user to schedulecommunication events with each of the sensors that they are maintaining.The screen lists all available units under control and their currentlocation provided by the user. The user enables the data upload andschedules the approximate time of the upload. The system uploads thedata as near as possible to this time, depending on the schedule of alluploads required and the main system loading. The user also scheduleshow often they want the sign to call into the server for settingupdates, which allow the sign to receive new setting information.Frequent setting updates might be used in a school zone where they wantthe sign to operate differently depending on the current event scheduleat the school. The scheduled calls are an important feature of thedesign, as the power required to keep the sign on-line all of the timeawaiting a call would make operation from a self-contained batteryimpractical. The solution is for the sign to power up the modem and callin to the server on these scheduled events.

FIG. 13: The SPEEDsentry Filters and Associations Screen lets the userreview the current data label settings for each speed display sensorunit in the field at the time of the last data upload. This summary canhelp the user maintain consistency in their data labeling process. Italso allows the user to edit the location and put in a future or pastlocation, so the data will automatically be split between the old andthe new location upon the next data upload. The user can schedule thismove either before or after the actual move. It just has to be enteredbefore the next scheduled data upload to take effect. After thescheduled data upload, a data file can be split between two locations inthe Traffic Data Management screen.

FIG. 14: The WebEmpowered Data Filter Screen allows the user to set upthe fields to be used to label each uploaded data set. They get toselect whether they want to use the four custom fields in addition tothe standard data name fields—Traffic Study, Roads and Locations, andthe conditional fields—direction, school zone, work zone, enforcementpresence, day(s) of the week, direction and speed display on or off. Ifthey choose to use the custom fields, they get to name the custom fieldsthey select so these will get uniform input names as they are used inthe process of data uploading. In this example, these are the seasonstudy and the event type for the two selected custom fields. To keep thesystem and interface as simple and as clear as possible, the system willkeep these fields hidden if the customer does not want to use them. Thisscreen allows the user to review all of the labels in each data fieldfor consistency relating to the name of the field and to theappropriateness of the desired studies and reports to be generated. Thenames can be edited in this section to simplify and keep the reportgeneration process easy and relevant.

FIG. 15: The WebEmpowered Enforcements entry screen and history screensallow the traffic officer or user to enter new enforcement activitytimes and locations and review past enforcement and times locations.This data is used in the enforcement vs. speed overlay chart. The usercan log police vehicle enforcement times (speed traps) that allow foroverlay of the actual enforcement times over the graph of the speeddata.

FIG. 16: This overlay is used to show the rise in average speed afterpolice on-site speed enforcement ends, and is an important feature ofthe invention. Using this chart, the user or traffic officer can seewhen the enforcement effectiveness of having a manned police vehicleenforcing the speed limit has decayed and the average speeds have goneback up to non-enforced levels. Only then do they enforce to utilize theenforcement resources effectively, rather than enforcing usingseat-of-the-pants instinct. To do this, a speed sensor is placed in theproximity of an enforcement location and records speed data both whenthe police car is on site and when it isn't. Then, the speeds when nopolice car is present can be reviewed against the speeds with the policecar's presence to see the effect of the police enforcement activity onthe speeds. Once the police car goes away, some locations may takelonger for the average speed to creep back up to normal and others mayhave the average speed increase more quickly. This chart provides avisual display of this situation and provides a systematic method fordetermining enforcement locations and timing in place of conventional“seat-of-the-pants” enforcement planning. The system can be programmedto provide an alert when the average speed has risen a set amount over,or is a multiple of a selected speed so the user is automaticallyalerted to the need for on-site police enforcement.

FIGS. 17-18: The Battery History Report request screen allows the userto enter a sensor unit and date range over which to generate a reportproviding the battery decay and recharge history. The battery historyreport shows a graph of the battery decay and can provide the user witha predictive trend of when they need to change the battery in a specificlocation. This charting, used in combination with other available datacan show effects of location, time, day of the week, weather, signsettings and many other factors. This report can be selected by unit orby location.

FIGS. 19-20: The Signal History Report request screen allows the user toselect a unit and date range for which to review the cellular signalstrength for a particular device at a specific location over aparticular date range. The signal history shows a chart of the signalstrength so the user can identify whether they have sufficient cellularsignal strength in a particular location to reliably get the data backfrom the unit. It may also provide information of a particular time ofday when the signal is the strongest and let the user schedule downloadsat this time of day. This report can be selected by unit or by location.

FIG. 21-22: The Data History Report request screen allows the user toselect a unit or location and date range for which to generate a reportto review the data availability history. This data history report showsthat data exists for this particular sensor over the selected date rangeand provides a picture of the completeness of the data, and thereforethe quality of the resulting reports. It lets the user visualize timegaps in the data for purposes of troubleshooting and for evaluation ofthe quality of reports generated from this data.

FIG. 23: The Graphical Trends Report request screen lets the user selectthe data criteria to generate the Summarized Speed Report (FIG. 24). Forthe criteria related to the report, they get to select all of the labelsfor each data field that they are using, what they want displayed on thereport including average speed, 85^(th) percentile speed and total carvolume.

FIG. 24: The Summarized Speed Report gives the user a quicklyinterpreted graphical summary of the speed situation for the selecteddata criteria. For the selected date range and data label filtercriteria selected in the graphical trends report request screen, thischart provides the average speeds, maximum and minimum speeds, 85^(th)percentile speeds, and vehicle counts over the date and time rangeselected for a specific time reporting period breakdown. For example,the data could be reviewed in 1 hour time windows, 30 minute timewindows or 15 minute windows or any appropriate window. This data isindependent of the sensor unit, as the report is generated using thedata labels only and the data is therefore independent of the sensorunit. It is also possible to look at a data set with the day averagedtogether, so the user can look for trends that are particular to aspecific day of the week, such as higher speeds on a Friday night.

FIG. 25: This report is the Speed Summary Chart. This chart provides avehicle count for each selected time window per selected speed groupingover the selected date range for the data with the data label criteriaselected. All of the criteria are selected by the user when generatingthe report. The report also has the ability to color different blocksdifferent colors depending on the count range so there is a visualpicture of the periods and speeds with the highest vehicle counts.

FIG. 26: This report is the Vehicle Count Summary Report. This chartprovides a daily vehicle count for each selected time window over theselected date range for the data with the data label criteria selected.All of the criteria are selected by the user when generating the report.The report also has the ability to color different blocks differentcolors depending on the count range so there is a visual picture of theperiods and days with the highest vehicle counts.

FIG. 27: One of the key reports of the WebEmpowered system is theEnforcement Priority Report. This report saves the user significant timein determining the enforcement priorities within his area of coverage.All of the sensors are providing data for the system, and this data islabeled upon upload with the user's data label criteria. The userselects the data label criteria including sensor location, school zone,road, side of street, etc, selects a data and time range, and theEnforcement Priorities report is generated. For the selected data range,this report automatically reports to the user the periods of highestspeed violations and the highest individual speed events. The officercan use the time windows for enforcement priorities, and can also lookat the high speed events to determine any trends from this data,potentially identifying a specific driver who passes at a high rate ofspeed near the same time daily. The report also generates a summary forall of the data sets used in the generation of the report. The sameperiods of high speed events can be highlighted to make events in thesame time period on different days stand out as a potential regularviolator. This helps the user identify this violator and respond withon-site enforcement during this time window. An example of how nationalaverages are displayed alongside customer data is shown in the “Summary”portion of the FIG. 27.

FIG. 29: The data export wizard allows the user to export the data fromthe database into their own system. This allows the user to take the rawdata and perform their own calculations independent of the WebEmpoweredsystem. This also allows the user to store their raw data outside of theWebEmpowered system if they prefer to do this.

FIG. 30: The Alert Notification Screen allows the user to set parametersfor individual event alerts and then determine who gets these emailalerts. Alerts include tamper alert sensitivity based on the sensitivityof the motion sensor in the speed display, an alert when the batterygets down to a selected percentage of remaining power, an alert that newdata has been uploaded, an alert that traffic is moving under a selectedspeed indicating an accident or similar event, an alert for anindividual high speed data recording above a selected speed thatrequires immediate attention or an alert that the effectiveness ofon-site traffic enforcement has worn off as the speeds in the locationhave increased back to selected levels. Maintenance alerts can also beselected to receive system operation based alerts.

FIG. 34A-34B: The Road Report gives the user summary information thatcan help determine the traffic flow characteristics of a road or rangeof roads. For a selected data range, the system provides a report withthe periods of maximum and minimum volumes and speeds. This data can beused to schedule road work during periods of minimum volume and minimumspeed. The data timeframe for the window is adjustable so the user canenter the duration of the selected road maintenance and the system willreport the best timeframe of this duration to perform the maintenance.

FIG. 35A: All reports criteria can be saved to the server so that theycan be brought up very quickly at a later time (see FIG. 35B), orscheduled for automatic email delivery on a schedule set by the user.

FIG. 35B: If the user had previously saved report criteria, they canrepopulate all of the filters with a single button click which savestimes and provides consistent reporting across multiple users and reporttimes.

FIG. 36: Users, while generating reports, can compare their data withother areas of the country to see where they stand in regards toeffectiveness.

The present invention is most easily understood in the context of aradar speed trailer. However, the inventive features are applicable toany vehicle sensor device (a radar speed trailer is one embodiment of avehicle sensor device), such as a stationery radar gun with no speedindicators. The vehicle sensor device may be trailer-mounted,pole-mounted, or free-standing. Accordingly, the phrase, “vehicle sensordevice” is used most generically to refer to the devices describedabove.

The present invention may be implemented with any combination ofhardware and software. If implemented as a computer-implementedapparatus, the present invention is implemented using means forperforming all of the steps and functions described above.

The present invention can be included in an article of manufacture(e.g., one or more computer program products) having, for instance,computer useable media. The media has embodied therein, for instance,computer readable program code means for providing and facilitating themechanisms of the present invention. The article of manufacture can beincluded as part of a computer system or sold separately.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could bemade to the embodiments described above without departing from the broadinventive concept thereof. It is understood, therefore, that thisinvention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but itis intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of thepresent invention.

1. A computer-implemented method of creating traffic management reports,the method comprising: (a) providing one or more vehicle sensor devices,each device being at a different location in a region, each devicecapturing data of vehicles that pass the device; (b) communicating thevehicle data to a central computer database; and (c) at the centralcomputer database, (i) via a user interface, selecting one or morecriteria from a plurality of criteria for filtering the vehicle data,and (ii) automatically creating one or more traffic management reportsfrom the filtered vehicle data using the selected criteria.
 2. Themethod of claim 1 further comprising: (d) associating each device withone or more data fields, wherein at least some of the criteria includesone or more of the data fields.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein thevehicle data includes road congestion data.
 4. A computer-implementedmethod of creating traffic management reports, the method comprising:(a) providing one or more vehicle sensor devices, each device being at adifferent location in a region, each device capturing data of vehiclesthat pass the device; (b) communicating the vehicle data to a centralcomputer database; and (c) at the central computer database,periodically creating one or more traffic management reports from thevehicle data.
 5. A computer-implemented method of creating trafficmanagement reports, the method comprising: (a) providing one or morevehicle sensor devices, each device being at a different location in aregion, each device capturing data of vehicles that pass the device; (b)communicating the vehicle data to a central computer database; and (c)at the central computer database, (i) automatically creating one or moretraffic management reports from the vehicle data, and (ii)electronically notifying selected recipients of at least one or more ofthe traffic management reports.
 6. A computer-implemented method ofcreating traffic enforcement reports, the method comprising: (a)providing a plurality of vehicle sensor devices, each device being at adifferent location in a region, each device capturing data of vehiclesthat pass the device; (b) communicating the vehicle data to a centralcomputer database; and (c) at the central computer database, creating aplurality of different traffic enforcement reports from the vehicledata, each of the traffic enforcement reports including a plurality ofdifferent traffic locations and vehicle speed at each of the locations.7. A computer-implemented method of managing a network of vehicle sensordevices, each device capturing data of vehicles that pass the device,including vehicle speed data, the method comprising: (a) providing aplurality of vehicle sensor devices at a plurality of differentlocations; (b) electronically communicating the vehicle data to acentral computer database; (c) analyzing the vehicle speed data fromeach of the vehicle sensor devices to detect any vehicle sensor devicesthat are likely not operating properly with respect to vehicle speeddetection; (d) the central computer database automatically generating analert message which includes the identification of the vehicle sensordevice that is likely not operating properly with respect to vehiclespeed detection; (e) storing in the central computer database electroniccontact information indicating alert message recipients for at leastsome of the vehicle sensor devices; and (f) automatically sending alertmessages to the appropriate message recipients upon detection of vehiclesensor devices that are likely not operating properly with respect tovehicle speed detection.
 8. The method of claim 7 wherein the vehiclesensor devices include radar guns for detecting vehicle speed, and step(c) further comprises determining if the radar gun in a vehicle sensordevice is likely operating properly.
 9. The method of claim 7 whereinstep (c) is performed at the vehicle sensor device by detecting faultydata, the method further comprising: (g) the vehicle sensor devicesending an electronic message to the central computer databaseindicating that the vehicle sensor device is likely not operatingproperly with respect to vehicle speed detection.
 10. The method ofclaim 7 wherein step (c) is performed at the central computer databaseusing vehicle speed data electronically communicated thereto.
 11. Acomputer-implemented method of managing a network of vehicle sensordevices, each device being in electronic communication with a centralcomputer database which (i) programs settings of the device, and (ii)receives data of vehicles that pass the device, the method comprising:(a) storing in the central computer database: (i) a plurality oflocations that the vehicle sensor devices can be placed at, and (ii)device settings for each location; and (b) upon placing a vehicle sensordevice at a particular location previously stored in the centralcomputer database, the central computer database communicating with thedevice to automatically program the device with the settings previouslystored for that particular location.
 12. The method of claim 11 whereinthe central computer database further stores (iii) one or more alertsettings for at least some of the locations, each alert setting definingan alert condition, the method further comprising: (c) generating analert if an alert condition is detected by a device that is placed at alocation associated with an alert setting.
 13. An article of manufacturefor creating traffic management reports, the article of manufacturecomprising a computer-readable medium encoded with computer-executableinstructions for performing a method comprising: (a) providing one ormore vehicle sensor devices, each device being at a different locationin a region, each device capturing data of vehicles that pass thedevice; (b) communicating the vehicle data to a central computerdatabase; and (c) at the central computer database, (i) via a userinterface, selecting one or more criteria from a plurality of criteriafor filtering the vehicle data, and (ii) automatically creating one ormore traffic management reports from the filtered vehicle data using theselected criteria.
 14. The article of manufacture of claim 13 whereinthe computer-executable instructions perform a method furthercomprising: (d) associating each device with one or more data fields,wherein at least some of the criteria includes one or more of the datafields.
 15. The article of manufacture of claim 13 wherein the vehicledata includes road congestion data.
 16. An article of manufacture forcreating traffic management reports, the article of manufacturecomprising a computer-readable medium encoded with computer-executableinstructions for performing a method comprising: (a) providing one ormore vehicle sensor devices, each device being at a different locationin a region, each device capturing data of vehicles that pass thedevice; (b) communicating the vehicle data to a central computerdatabase; and (c) at the central computer database, periodicallycreating one or more traffic management reports from the vehicle data.17. An article of manufacture for creating traffic management reports,the article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable medium encodedwith computer-executable instructions for performing a methodcomprising: (a) providing one or more vehicle sensor devices, eachdevice being at a different location in a region, each device capturingdata of vehicles that pass the device; (b) communicating the vehicledata to a central computer database; and (c) at the central computerdatabase, (i) automatically creating one or more traffic managementreports from the vehicle data, and (ii) electronically notifyingselected recipients of at least one or more of the traffic managementreports.
 18. An article of manufacture for creating traffic enforcementreports, the article of manufacture comprising a computer-readablemedium encoded with computer-executable instructions for performing amethod comprising: (a) providing a plurality of vehicle sensor devices,each device being at a different location in a region, each devicecapturing data of vehicles that pass the device; (b) communicating thevehicle data to a central computer database; and (c) at the centralcomputer database, creating a plurality of different traffic enforcementreports from the vehicle data, each of the traffic enforcement reportsincluding a plurality of different traffic locations and vehicle speedat each of the locations.
 19. An article of manufacture for managing anetwork of vehicle sensor devices, each device capturing data ofvehicles that pass the device, including vehicle speed data, the articleof manufacture comprising a computer-readable medium encoded withcomputer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising: (a)providing a plurality of vehicle sensor devices at a plurality ofdifferent locations; (b) electronically communicating the vehicle datato a central computer database; (c) analyzing the vehicle speed datafrom each of the vehicle sensor devices to detect any vehicle sensordevices that are likely not operating properly with respect to vehiclespeed detection; (d) the central computer database automaticallygenerating an alert message which includes the identification of thevehicle sensor device that is likely not operating properly with respectto vehicle speed detection; (e) storing in the central computer databaseelectronic contact information indicating alert message recipients forat least some of the vehicle sensor devices; and (f) automaticallysending alert messages to the appropriate message recipients upondetection of vehicle sensor devices that are likely not operatingproperly with respect to vehicle speed detection.
 20. The article ofmanufacture of claim 19 wherein the vehicle sensor devices include radarguns for detecting vehicle speed, and step (c) further comprisesdetermining if the radar gun in a vehicle sensor device is likelyoperating properly.
 21. The article of manufacture of claim 19 whereinstep (c) is performed at the vehicle sensor device by detecting faultydata, and the computer-executable instructions perform a method furthercomprising: (g) the vehicle sensor device sending an electronic messageto the central computer database indicating that the vehicle sensordevice is likely not operating properly with respect to vehicle speeddetection.
 22. The article of manufacture of claim 19 wherein step (c)is performed at the central computer database using vehicle speed dataelectronically communicated thereto.
 23. An article of manufacture formanaging a network of vehicle sensor devices, each device being inelectronic communication with a central computer database which (i)programs settings of the device, and (ii) receives data of vehicles thatpass the device, the article of manufacture comprising acomputer-readable medium encoded with computer-executable instructionsfor performing a method comprising: (a) storing in the central computerdatabase: (i) a plurality of locations that the vehicle sensor devicescan be placed at, and (ii) device settings for each location; and (b)upon placing a vehicle sensor device at a particular location previouslystored in the central computer database, the central computer databasecommunicating with the device to automatically program the device withthe settings previously stored for that particular location.
 24. Thearticle of manufacture of claim 23 wherein the central computer databasefurther stores (iii) one or more alert settings for at least some of thelocations, each alert setting defining an alert condition, and thecomputer-executable instructions perform a method further comprising:(c) generating an alert if an alert condition is detected by a devicethat is placed at a location associated with an alert setting.